1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to electronic devices having a plurality of discrete sequential operating states. More particularly, the present invention relates to gaming or amusement devices including processor controlled circuitry, and wherein such gaming or amusement devices are subject to interruption during play, due to loss of power or lack of power source reliability.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Gaming and amusement devices are often placed in an abusive environment where they are subject to frequent and rapid power interruption. In the case of a gaming device, a player may be on his way to a win or may even be in the middle of a pay-out after a win when power interruption occurs. Such loss of power at this critical time may deprive the player of a winning play or of the balance of a jack-pot that has already been won. Additionally, power interruption may randomly shift the gaming or amusement device to an incorrect state such that free play or an unearned jack-pot is given to the player.
Gaming devices are strictly controlled by various governmental agencies. Most such agencies require that each gaming device maintain a record of game play. Thus, in addition to interfering with game operation, power failure or interruption might jeopardize the accuracy of the game record keeping component. For example, the game record keeping or audit device may indicate a win and a pay-out amount although a power interruption has prevented a full pay-out from occurring.
The traditional means of detecting a power shut down or interruption in such gaming and amusement devices has been the saving of various game pointers. In the more modern microprocessor controlled games, the pointers saved are program pointers. A problem with the program pointer saving approach is that it requires advance warning of the power failure in order to execute a pointer saver routine. Unfortunately, the environment in which such devices are used is often subject to instantaneous power loss. In such an event, there is no way for the device to institute its pointer saving routine. Thus, game play is interrupted in such a manner that it may not be resumed where it left off before such interruption.
Additionally, there are certain register values that are associated with each game play event. For example, the number of coins loaded into a machine determines the pay-out in the event of a win. A register maintains a count of the number of coins loaded. In the event of power failure, the pointer saving devices do not provide for maintaining register values. Thus, even if game play were restored, associated game values are lost. There is no mechanism provided in the art that allows such gaming and amusement devices to resume play at exactly the point of interruption in the game play sequence, nor is there a mechanism wherein game sequence register values are maintained intact during power source interruption.